What if the powers-that-be and the s/fx company in charge of the production used the technique utilized in X-Men 3 that made Picard... er... Patrick Stewart look younger.

If Shatner hit the running track and the exercise bike to loose weight, it would work!

They would also have to do this with Nimoy as well. Perhaps the framing story could be a sequel to Star Trek VI. Whilst Kirk 'retires' from Command duty, and the Enterprise-A is mothballed, he could still be active in Starfleet, teaching at the Academy.

[link=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/startreknews.php?id=18367]Script is finished[/link]

Of particular interest is: "I met with J.J., and they told me they would like me to be part of their film, but they have to write the role," Shatner said. And confirming the rumors, Shatner added, "Yes, we know the story is based on young Kirk."

[link=http://hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=4026]Star Trek XI Script Almost Finalised[/link]
Greg Grunberg, who plays the mind-reading cop Matt Parkman in the NBC series Heroes, is great friends with J.J. Abrams. Grunberg was a regular on Abrams' television series Alias and had a cameo in his buddy's big screen directorial debut, Mission Impossible III. With Abrams now working on the script of Star Trek XI, an on-screen role for Grunberg in the 23rd Century seems like a distinct possibility.

Given Parkman's talents, the logical role for Grunberg would seem to be as a Vulcan. In the Star Trek universe that race is renowned for its mind-melding capabilities. Apparently that is exactly what Grunberg would like to be, according to an article on the website Rotten Tomatoes.

"I'd love to be a Vulcan, it'd be great," Grunberg said. "That would be incredible. I don't want to sit through too much makeup though. That's the one thing I'm worried about, but we'll see."

Grunberg also had good news for Trekkers who are eagerly awaiting updates on Star Trek XI. The film is scheduled for a 2008 release and it sounds like Abrams is almost done putting the finishing touches to the script.

"He's finalizing the script right now so I just talked to him today and he said, 'I'll send it to you as soon as it's done,' so hopefully it'll be very soon," Grunberg said.

The contents of the script remain a secret, but speculation over the involvement of characters from the original series was given a boost recently by comments William Shatner made to Sci fi Wire. Shatner said that Abrams wanted him in the film, although this presented problems because his character, Captain James T. Kirk, was killed off in Star Trek: Generations. In a recent interview with Time Magazine, however, Shatner suggested that the presence of some of the original series' actors would boost the box office potential of Star Trek XI.

"I did have a talk with J.J., and he outlined what he wanted to do," Shatner said. "Getting a character who is supposed to be dead to talk to his younger self is a storytelling problem. But if you want to guarantee the audience will come in droves, one of the things you might do is include some members of the old cast."

If, as rumours have indicated, Abrams' script focuses on the original series' characters in their younger days, the role of Kirk will also have to be recast. Whoever gets that role, though, they won't be taking orders from Shatner. He told Time that he would not tell a younger actor how Kirk should be played. He also acknowledged that Paramount's attempt to revive the Star Trek franchise following the disappointments with Star Trek: Nemesis and Enterprise was a risk.

"There was something about Star Trek that sustained it all those years. But with so many entities of Star Trek out there all at once, the audience began to leave it. Now there's a huge experiment going on: Will the audience pick up their love affair? We don't know. And as talented as J.J. is, this is the real test for him. He's got to give a known quantity the Abrams twist and yet maintain the Star Trek game."

J.J. ABRAMS TO DIRECT STAR TREK FEATURE FILM FOR PARAMOUNT PICTURES IN THEATERS CHRISTMAS DAY 2008

HOLLYWOOD, CA, February 26, 2007 ? ?Star Trek,? one of the most popular and successful franchises in the history of movies and television, returns to the big screen under the creative vision of J.J. Abrams, the force behind ?Lost,? ?Alias? and ?Mission Impossible III? for Paramount Pictures.

The team behind the film will include Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (?Mission Impossible III?) who wrote the screenplay and will executive produce with Bryan Burk. JJ Abrams and ?Lost? co-creator Damon Lindelof will produce. The film will begin shooting this fall for a Christmas Day 2008 release.

One of the most popular film and television franchises of all time, ?Star Trek? has encompassed 726 total episodes for television in six different series, beginning with the original 1966-1969 series created by Gene Roddenberry. The 10 ?Star Trek? films have grossed in excess of $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The original characters have been named among the 50 greatest TV characters of all time and the Enterprise has lent its name to two proposed spacecrafts.

"If there?s something I?m dying to see, it?s the brilliance and optimism of Roddenberry?s world brought back to the big screen,? said Abrams. ?Alex and Bob wrote an amazing script that embraces and respects Trek canon, but charts its own course. Our goal is to make a picture for everyone ? life-long fans and the uninitiated. Needless to say, I am honored and excited to be part of this next chapter of Star Trek."

Brad Grey, chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures, said, ?We could not be more thrilled to be back in business with J.J. Abrams. The revival of the ?Star Trek? franchise is an important part of Paramount?s turnaround.?
About Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global company that produces and distributes filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading entertainment content company with prominent and respected brands including Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. The company?s labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, DreamWorks, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studios, and Worldwide Television Distribution.

Fact Sheet
?Star Trek? is one of the most popular film and television franchises of all time:
- 726 total episodes for television spanning six television series
- Original series, created by Gene Roddenberry, aired on NBC from 1966-1969
- 10 movies, grossing in total over $1 billion at the worldwide box office
- Hundreds of novels
- $3.5 billion in consumer products
- 3 million visitors of Las Vegas?s ?Star Trek: The Experience? since 1998
- Over 60 interactive software products since 1991; games in production for current and next generation game platforms
J.J. Abrams is a talent widely admired by audiences and critics alike:
- Winner of two Emmy Awards for ?Lost?
- 17 million viewers each week for ?Lost?; a top-ten show
- Hailed by the New York Times as ?one of the most exhilarating storytellers in television?
- Director of ?Mission: Impossible III?
- Creator of ?Alias? and ?Felicity?
?Star Trek? has influenced the culture:
- NASA?s first test shuttle was named ?Enterprise?
- The first commercial passenger carrier into space, Virgin Galactic, has announced that the first spacecraft of the line will be named V. S. S. Enterprise
- An episode of the original ?Star Trek? featured television?s first interracial kiss
- Spock, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, was named one of TV?s ?50 Greatest Characters Ever? by TV Guide

I don't get how they don't understand how iconic the TOS characters are. It's a waste of time to try to redo that, even if it is a prequel. Almost blasphemy, really. The TNG era future is where the movie series should continue.

I don't get how they don't understand how iconic the TOS characters are. It's a waste of time to try to redo that, even if it is a prequel. Almost blasphemy, really. The TNG era future is where the movie series should continue.

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So, how did you feel when Obi-Wan Kenobi was recast for the prequel trilogy?

If JJ Abrams is directing it it SHOULD be a good movie. As for going back to the 'Kirk' era is would much rather see something completely different that could produce a TV series (hopefully better than the last).

So, how did you feel when Obi-Wan Kenobi was recast for the prequel trilogy?

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Well first, with SW, there was a back story layed out from day one to be told. There was never such a thing in ST. Kirk went to the Academy. That's all the backstory is. The difference here is they are scraping for new material, and I personally feel they are taking the wrong approach. If there was a serious back-story to be told - referenced in TOS - that had been layed out, then that would be different. But that is not the case in this senario.

Well, there were several references to his academy days in TOS, but I don't think they could really be strung together into a significant backstory- just a few supporting characters for cameos at best (like the Irish-stereotype bully).

In other news, latest rumors for the new cast seem to be Matt Damon, Adrien brody and Gary Sinese for Kirk, Spock and McCoy, respectively. Though I'm not so sure about the first two, I must say that Sinese is actually a pretty excellent choice, if true.

This seems to be going the Superman Returns route for this movie. Granted Brandon Routhe and Kevin Spacey owned the parts, and did it superbly. IMO, Routhe did it just slightly better than Reeve did, although he acted as Reeve did. Spacey owned Hackman. No insult to Reeve or Hackman at all. But this seems to be following suit. That's the only way they can pull this off. I guess we'll see.

I just still think, even with the above stated, that with the iconic figures, and retconing special effects and technology (technology will have to be kick ass for this movie to succeed) will force us to put too much imagination into the movie, and disregard everything that has been done to this point in the ST universe.

Here's some more information on Star Trek XI from the two writers of the script [link=http://trekmovie.com/2007/03/08/orci-kurtzman-open-up-trek-xi-to-be-reimagined-starship-adventure/#more-556]STAR TREK[/link]